Thailand sending essential supplies to cyclone-hit Myanmar
Thailand would be sending a plane carrying essential supplies to Myanmar after the neighbouring country was hit by powerful cyclone “Mocha”, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
The spokesperson for Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kanchana Patarachoke, said that the Thai government had expressed its concerns to Myanmar where Cyclone Mocha has killed 145 people and left 800,000 people in need of food aid, according to reports as of Friday evening.
Kanchana, who is also the director-general of the Department of Information, said: “Thailand is seeking to offer assistance to Myanmar, which is a close neighbour of Thailand,” she said.
The government and other organisations, including PTT, Siam Cement Group, and Thai Red Cross Society, held a meeting on Tuesday on providing support to Myanmar, she added.
Kanchana said that the Thai government is planning to organise a ceremony to distribute food and other needed supplies on Monday at Government House, with the Myanmar ambassador to Thailand participating as a delegate of his country. Outgoing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will preside over the event.
There are no reports of Thai people being affected by the storm, according to the Royal Thai Embassy in Yangon.
People who want to offer help could donate money via the Thai Red Cross Society and the Board of Trade of Thailand, she said.
Cyclone Mocha was one of the strongest storms to hit the neighbouring country, packing winds of about 209km/h with landfall in several areas.
